On today's Washington Post op-ed page, an unusually frank piece of writing from former Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson on why he never quite got the Obama thing until Denver:
Most of us never heard him speak in person. At work 14 hours a day in the war room, we focused on his perceived faults and deficiencies. Our time was spent sharpening and advancing arguments. Skepticism was critical to our efforts. Insulated from Obamamania, I met few Obama supporters and distanced myself from the ones I knew. I lived this way for 18 months
We don't get these kinds of honest assessments from inside campaigns very often. But that strikes me as just how it is, and was. In my own experience, Democrats and liberals who were good friends in Washington in some cases just kinda didn't talk to each other for a while if one supported Obama and the other Clinton, figuring it'd just be easier when it was all over. Anyway it's a very nice piece of writing throughout and well worth the read.
